It's Obvious She's In Love With You
by kiwilynn13
Summary: The Inquisition is on the move to attack Adamant Fortress. Before the assault, Inquisitor Trevelyan questions Varric about his relationship with Hawke. Varric's mind wanders and revelations are made.
1. The Night Before Adamant

Hi guys! This is my first attempt at a Dragon Age story and I decided it needed to be Hawke/Varric. They were perfect for each other and I'm forever angry he wasn't a love interest. Anyways, this is how I imagine a relationship would go down between them in the events of Inquisition, specifically in the Here Lies The Abyss questline.

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><p>"So, Varric. Does Bianca know?"<p>

"Does Bianca know what?"

"That you and Hawke are madly in love with each other, of course."

Varric gaped at Inquisitor Jane Trevelyan. They were camped out in the Western Approach, close to where they had helped Hawke and Stroud at the Warden outpost. They were waiting for them to arrive so they could begin the final assault at Adamant. Cullen and his troops had stayed back to give the smaller party an advance to scout ahead. Varric had elected to take the night watch, hoping that everyone else would head straight to bed. Something about the endless sands and skies put him in a reminiscent mood.

All he wanted to do was think of Kirkwall, of everyone he left behind, of Hawke.

His mind always went back to Hawke.

Varric had hoped Jane would go to sleep when Vivienne and Cassandra did, but alas, the Inquisitor was sitting up beside him, wide awake, keeping Varric from his memories. With Cullen staying with the troops, Jane was restless and needed to talk to someone. Varric fit the role perfectly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jane. I'm not in love with Hawke."

"Well, it's obvious she's in love with you."

Varric scrunched his eyebrows in disbelief. Hawke in love with him? The thought was laughable. She was his best friend, nothing more.

"You're right about a lot of things, Inquisitor, but this is not one of them," Varric stated, moving his gaze back to the fire in front of them.

Jane rolled her eyes and stood, "You're either completely blind or in denial, Varric. Goodnight."

Finally, he was left with his thoughts that the Inquisitor had so kindly muddled even further with Hawke.

Varric thought about what Jane had said. What did she mean it was "obvious she was in love with him?" How would the Inquisitor, of all people, even come to that conclusion? She had only been around Hawke for the few weeks it took to prepare for Adamant. Surely, there hadn't been anything that would give an indication of Hawke's feelings for him?

His mind brought those weeks into focus and he realized, shit, there was plenty that would have made it seem like they were more than friends.

"_You're not leaving for Crestwood tonight, are you? It's getting pretty late and the mountainside isn't very forgiving once it gets dark," Varric asked after the Inquisitor left him and Hawke alone on the ramparts._

"_I really should get going, Varric. Stroud's waiting for me and-"_

"_Hawke, trust me on this, you don't want to be on that mountain at night. Stay here til morning, then I'll let you leave with good conscience."_

_Hawke looked at him and sighed in defeat. He was right, of course. "Fine, but I hope you know, I'm sleeping in your room and you're supplying me with ale and Wicked Grace."_

_Varric chuckled and placed his hand on the small of Hawke's back, guiding her towards the stairs that would lead into the tavern. "Anything for you, Hawke."_

"Anything for you?" Had he really said that? Shit, if anyone had heard him say that, they would have thought him and Hawke were a couple. Which they weren't. But...what if? No. Varric hated "what ifs." He couldn't allow his mind to go there.

_Varric stood next to the bar waiting for his and Hawke's drinks to be brought to him. He looked across the room to where he left her. She was sat next to Bull and going on about the dragon they had taken down in the Bone Pit. Half of what she was saying was lies to make the story better; Varric had taught her well._

_He got the drinks and brought them back over to the table, setting one down in front of Hawke. Varric settled himself in the chair on the other side of Hawke, his arm automatically resting across the back of her chair. Hawke sat back on instinct, moving comfortably into the dwarf at her side._

Shit shit shit. Even when he didn't realize it, they acted like a couple. But it was always so natural. Varric thought back to all the nights spent at the Hanged Man. Even then, his arm found a way around Hawke's shoulders.

Varric stood and paced back and forth beside the fire. He liked having the moments to himself to reminisce, but the Inquisitor had ruined that for him by saying Hawke was in love with him.

"_Hawke, you are so drunk," Varric laughed as he helped her through the door of his room._

"_No, I'm not! I only had a few of those drinks you kept bringing me," Hawke slurred, landing with a thud on his bed._

"_Yeah, one of those drinks was Qunari, way stronger than what we're used to."_

_Hawke groaned into the mattress before flipping herself face up. A lazy smile spread across her face as she gazed at Varric with glassy eyes. "Will you take off my boots?"_

_Varric chuckled and did as he was asked. After he got her boots off, Hawke moved herself under the covers, still smiling at Varric. He was in the process of taking off his own boots and coat. She couldn't take her eyes off of him._

_Finally, Varric crawled into bed beside her. He held up his arm so she could snuggle herself into his side. Varric looked down at her and sighed. She needed this. she needed a break to just be herself and stop worrying about everyone else's problems. In this moment, she was just Hawke, not Champion, not Viscountess, and Varric wouldn't have it any other way._

_Soon, he realized Hawke was asleep in his embrace. Varric kissed the top of her head and allowed himself to relax completely himself. He needed this break as much as she did._

_He woke the next morning to find Hawke completely wrapped around him. His hands were wrapped around her waist, holding her closer than he ever had before. But this didn't matter. It couldn't. Hawke was his best friend and she needed him. There was no telling what was going to happen at Adamant. For all he knew, they could both wind up dead._

_So he held her closer still. She needed this comfort and he wanted to give it to her._

Thinking of the night before she left for Crestwood was a bad idea. He hadn't thought about her sleeping next to him like that in a few weeks, and the thought of it now made him have feelings he wasn't prepared to feel.

As long as he'd known her, they'd been like that. Completely and utterly comfortable and open with each other. Varric thought nothing of it then, but now. _Now _was different. He had never seen Hawke act the way she does with him around anyone else.

Varric sighed and sat himself back down next to the fire. He looked to the horizon, hoping that the endless sea of stars would calm his mind down. Instead, his mind became even more clouded with the sight of Hawke and Stroud approaching the camp.

"Hawke, you made it. Good to see you, Stroud," Varric said, rising to greet them.

"I'd be one happy woman if I never see another grain of sand in my life," Hawke stated, dropping her gear next where Varric had placed Bianca.

Varric laughed and agreed with her. The sight of her had rendered him momentarily speechless. She looked so tired, but she was determined to finish this. Hawke plopped down in the spot Varric had just vacated. The once vibrant Hawke he knew was slowly fading out, and he couldn't stand it.

Stroud eyed the pair as Varric sat down next to Hawke. He didn't want to intrude on them, so he set up his tent and bid them goodnight. His words fell on deaf ears as Hawke and Varric had already retreated into their own world.

"You ready for this?" Varric asked as Hawke moved into the usual position under his arm.

"Can someone ever really be ready for a battle like this?" she replied, her head falling to rest in the crook of his shoulder.

"You've got a point there."

She didn't respond to him. Silence replaced their conversation. Varric was sure Hawke had fallen asleep as the silence stretched on. His arm was numb but he wasn't about to tell her to move.

Varric fell back into his reverie. It felt good to have Hawke back at his side. He had missed her far too much. He thought back to what the Inquisitor had said, "_it's obvious she's in love with you." _

He couldn't be sure about it, but he knew one thing for certain now. It was obvious to himself that he was completely in love with his best friend and had been since day one. How had he not realized it sooner? Maybe it was the whole "world is ending" thing, maybe it was the prying done by the Inquisitor, who knows. He just needed that one push to think about their relationship, _really _think about it. They had been acting like a couple for years, no wonder everyone thought they were together.

Should he tell her? No, no, what if she didn't feel the same? Varric wasn't sure he could handle that. Not when he had just figured out how he felt. Maybe after Adamant he could tell her. It might be easier then.

Varric looked down at the sleeping form next to him. She was beautiful. Maker, he was really gone now.

He had to tell her. He just needed to have patience.

In the meantime, he needed to think of how he was going to tell Bianca. That was a letter he wasn't looking forward to writing.

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><p>So that's part one! Let me know what you think! Also, if any of the readers on this are readers from any of my other stories, here's a quick update on those. I know it's been a while. Love Across The Wastes will hopefully pick up soon with a ButchAna chapter. I think I'm going to rewrite Constant. I wasn't happy with the way it was going and I feel Joker and Shepard needed better, so I'm going to be working on that as well.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Adamant

Hey guys! New chapter! I think there will only be one more in this story, but we'll see.

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><p>Pull the trigger. Release. One more Warden falls.<p>

Varric had lost count of the Wardens and demons he had killed. He held the flank to the Inquisitor's right as she and Cassandra charged ahead, daggers and sword shining in the burning fortress. Vivienne shot an immolation passed his head and straight into an oncoming shade.

_Focus, _he thought to himself, _she'll be fine. She always is._

No matter how many times he told himself that, Varric couldn't help but with Hawke was fighting at his side, and not helping the Inquisition soldiers. It was a selfish thought, he knew, but he would rather have an eye on her and know she was safe than have her scaling the walls while arrows rained down on her.

"Varric! Look out!" Jane Trevelyan yelled, sinking her daggers into one of the attacking Wardens.

Varric looked in the nick of time to see the pride demon emerging from across the battlements, arm raised and ready to strike. He leaped back, sending arrows flying into the demon. Varric saw Cassandra take point and charge ahead, giving him space to get into a better defensive position.

Another pride demon came into the fray with a despair demon in tow. _Great, anything else want to join in? _The battle was too hot and they knew it. When everything seemed to be lost, Trevelyan open a rift about the demons, banishing them into the fade. Varric sighed in momentary relief. All they needed to do now was get to Clarel and end this.

"Miss me?" a voice said to his right. A weight Varric didn't realize was on his heart lifted at the sound of her voice. _Miss you? You have no idea, Hawke._

Varric smiled at her and shook his head. This wasn't over yet. Something could still go wrong. Should he tell her now? No, no, that was stupid. Don't tell her in the middle of a battle. That was ridiculous.

"You okay?" Hawke asked, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm good. Come on," Varric replied, moving them forward to follow behind Trevelyan and the others.

The battle went south very quickly with the arrival of the Archdemon. How were they supposed to outrun that? Simple: fall into the Fade. Wonderful. Just what Varric needed. At least they were alive.

"You know, Hawke, the weirdest shit happens to you," Varric said, falling behind the Inquisitor.

"At least I get to drag you along for it," Hawke replied, matching his pace.

"Lucky me," he rolled his eyes, making her laugh despite their current situation.

The booming voice of the Nightmare broke into their thoughts, stopping everyone in their tracks.

"Once again, Hawke is in danger because of you, Varric. You found the red lyrium, you brought Hawke here."

"Just keep talking, Smiley," Varric said, looking anywhere but at Hawke.

"Varric…" she started, but he waved her off.

"It's fine, Hawke. Let's keep moving."

The group trudged on through the Fade in silence. The place was unnerving. What the Nightmare said couldn't leave his mind. He had brought Hawke here. He did find the red lyrium. This was all his fault. How many times had she been in danger been in danger because of him? Too many. The thought weighed heavy on his chest.

They needed to get out of here, soon.

The group destroyed a nest of the smaller fears. It seemed like they were getting close to the rift. The sight of their escape route caused everyone's spirits to lift. That was, until the Nightmare chimed in again.

"Did you think you mattered, Hawke? Did you think anything you ever did _mattered? _You couldn't even save your city, how could you expect to strike down a god? Varric is going to die, just like your family, and everyone you ever cared about."

Hawke stopped in her path, "Well, that's going to grow tiresome quickly."

Varric didn't say anything, just put his hand on the small of her back and nudged her to keep moving. The Nightmare couldn't be more wrong about her. _Everything _she did mattered, _she mattered. _But these were her fears given life. She was afraid Varric would die? He wouldn't allow that fear to become reality. Not if he had a say in the matter. Maker, he needs to tell her. But how does one go about laying their heart out while in the middle of the Fade? Not here. He couldn't.

Not like this.

Varric stood with bated breath with Cassandra and Vivienne at his side. The Inquisitor, Hawke, and Stroud hadn't come out of the rift yet.

_Come on, what is taking so long?_

Just when Varric thought his heart was going to crack into a million pieces, the rift flashed with light and out came Hawke and Trevelyan in a tumble. Jane quickly got to her feet and closed the rift behind her. Varric rushed to Hawke's side and helped her up. She smiled in relief at the sight of him and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. She didn't let go while Jane spoke to the Wardens.

"I thought I lost you for a minute there," Varric whispered.

Hawke didn't reply, only hugged him tighter.

Trevelyan told the Wardens to stay in Orlais and help in anyway they could. It was then that Hawke finally let go.

"While they do that, I'll inform the Wardens at Weisshaupt what's happened. Best they not get caught off guard," she declared.

Varric's mouth moved before his mind had fully caught up with what she had said, "You're doing what?"

"Someone has to let them know, Varric. Might as well be me," Hawke said, turning to face him.

"No."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said no. Why does it have to be you? Why not send an actual Warden? Or better yet, a messenger bird?"

"Varric, I have to do this."

Varric locked eyes with her, waving her over to the side so they could talk more privately.

"You know I have to do this," Hawke began.

"Do I? Explain it to me, Hawke. Why does it have to be you that goes? You don't owe anything to the Wardens, " Varric said frustrated that she kept throwing herself into danger. "You have no idea what could be waiting for you at Weisshaupt. Stay with the Inquisition, stay with-"

He stopped himself. _Now or never, Tethras. Now or never._

"Stay with me, Hawke. Don't go to Weisshaupt."

Hawke studied his face. He was pleading with her to stay. Let one of the Wardens go, a bird, anyone but her. Varric didn't think he could watch her leave again. It would destroy him.

"Varric…" Hawke was at a loss for what to say.

"Hawke," he grabbed her hands and held them, his fingers twining with hers. "Stay with me. Please."

Hawke's eyes showed her confliction. She looked to the Wardens gathered behind her talking to the Inquisitor. Varric was right. She didn't owe them anything.

She felt the warmth of his hands as she looked back to him. There was no telling what would happen to her if she went to Weisshaupt, but if she stayed...if she stayed, she wouldn't be alone.

She never did like being alone.

And being with Varric made her heart beat a little faster, like it always did when she was with him.

"Hawke?" Varric prompted.

"I'll stay."

That was all he needed to hear. Varric pulled her down into a kiss so filled with joy and passion that it took Hawke by surprise. His hands went to her waist as her arms went around his neck. Hawke returned the kiss with an eagerness Varric didn't expect, but he wasn't about to complain.

When she pulled away, she rested her forehead against his, a smile lit up her face.

"Took you long enough to do that," she whispered.

"Sorry, guess I was a little oblivious," he replied.

"A little?" Hawke chuckled.

"Maybe a little more than a little," Varric smiled and pulled her into another kiss.

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	3. The Night After Adamant

Last part! Thanks for reading everyone!

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><p>"Inquisitor, the Commander wishes to speak with you and get your official report."<p>

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Jane Trevelyan said, making her way to where Cullen and his troops had set up camp.

Soldiers bowed to her as she passed. She still wasn't quite used to feeling like a god to them. It was unsettling. Jane found Cullen hunched over a table in his tent, maps spread out before him.

"You wanted to see me?" Jane asked. Cullen looked up from his maps as a smile spread across his face.

"Thank the Maker you're alright," he said, enveloping her into a hug. Jane sank into his embrace, a tired smile spreading across her face. Cullen pulled back, his hands still on her waist, looking her over for any signs of injury. "Is everyone okay?"

"We lost Stroud," Jane said, sadness creeping into her features for a man she hardly knew.

"He seemed to be a good man. We won't let his sacrifice go to waste," Cullen said, drawing her towards him once more. "Was there anyone else? Hawke...did she-"

"No one else. Hawke's alright. She's upset about Stroud, but Varric's helping her. Which reminds me, I told you so."

"You told me what?"

"I told you there was something between Hawke and Varric. I was right."

Cullen looked down at her with confusion spreading across his face. "What are you-"

"She was going to go to Weisshaupt, by herself. Varric pulled her aside and talked to her. Next thing I see they're kissing. I told you." Jane beamed up at him. Oh, how she loved proving him wrong.

"Does this mean she'll be a permanent resident at Skyhold?" Cullen asked, apprehension lacing his voice.

"It would appear so," Jane replied. She was loving this. "Anything you'd like to say, Commander?"

"I...no. Nothing to say. I'm happy for them," Cullen said in a strained voice. Hawke living at Skyhold with Varric? Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Jane laughed and buried her face in his pauldrons. This was going to be fun.

"Can you believe we just did that?" Hawke laughed into Varric's bare shoulder. He chuckled deep in his chest. No, he really couldn't believe it. But if this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

It was late. Most everyone in the camp had gone to bed for the night. Varric saw the Inquisitor wander off to Cullen's tent a few hours ago. Cassandra and Vivienne had been discussing their experience in the Fade earlier. Varric had more important things to occupy his mind.

That important thing was now lying at his side, completely bare and utterly marvelous. He couldn't be happier if he tried.

Varric rolled to his side so he could look down at Hawke. She was so beautiful. _How did I manage this?_

"Something to say, Master Tethras?" Hawke asked, the smile on her face growing wider.

"No...just...I'm glad you're staying," Varric said, letting his hand rest on her hip.

"Well, you were _very _convincing," she joked before pushing herself up to kiss him.

Varric laughed into the kiss before pulling away. He could definitely get used to this.

"I'll have to write to Aveline and Bethany, let them know where I am and what's going on. Varric…"

"Hm?"

"Are you...sure about all this?" Hawke asked, averting her gaze from him.

"Are you kidding? I've never been surer about anything in my life," Varric replied, pulling her tightly against him. Hawke laughed at that and pulled herself on top of him, her breasts pushing into his chest.

"Maker, I love you, Hawke," Varric said, his voice laced with a mixture of awe and lust.

Hawke's face lit up even more at his words. "Took you long enough."

Varric chuckled and shook his head. He pulled her down into a heated kiss only to be broken when the need for air became too great.

"Varric," Hawke whispered his name, resting her forehead against his.

"Yeah?" the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile.

"I love you, too."

Varric captured her mouth with his once more, rolling them over so he was on top. He couldn't wait to get back to Skyhold and into a proper bed.

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><p>I really love these two together so this will probably not be the last of them from me. Stay tuned, friends.<p> 


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